Baby Luthor
by The Charmed Rose
Summary: Post S10 Finale-Never, in the entire year she had been dead, did Tess think her only ally would end up being the eight year old daughter of the man who killed her. Tess/Oliver Clark/Lois and possibly Lex/Lana in later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

_He's gone again._

Little Lena Luthor had once again been left by her dad with the nasty looking nanny, who kept insisting she address her as "Miss Graves." The witch "Miss Graves" had done nothing to earn Lena's respect, so she saw no reason to call her by that name.

Lena hated her, as she understood "Miss Graves" had just been forced to look after her, and had been promised a bigger pay check.

The six year old heard a lot of similar things, but that was the price she had to pay, as her dad told her. Because she was a Luthor.

Lena noted her dad seemed to use this as an excuse about why he was cold, rude, and just plain horrible to anyone who didn't please him.

Dad wasn't always like that.

Sometimes he would come home one day, and he'd bring out Snow White and read it to her, just like mom did. Lena's memories of her mother came to a halt a few years previously, when her daddy had come and brought her to live with him.

She had asked him once why mom had never visited, but he'd became livid, and demanded that Lena should stop being a pest and needed to leave the room.

Where was she?

Did she do something wrong, and mommy was upset with her? She was sorry for whatever it was. Lena missed her so much, and just hoped she'd one day get to ask her.

However oddly enough Lena began to pick up a foreign scent that was residing in her room, which she easily detected as a mixture of lavender and sandalwood...

"Aren't all the Luthor's pockets full of sunshine."

Lena frowned at the unfamiliar voice that had commented, and dropped the leather-bound book she had been reading. She looked upwards, and her eyes went wide at the sight in front of her. Lena stayed frozen in place, unsure of what to say.

A young red-headed woman close to her father's age was sitting at the bottom of her bed with her, and seemed to be wearing a bored expression.

The woman's piercing alert green eyes were boring right into Lena's, and she raised a perfectly arched eyebrow at the child. It unnerved her, as it was though the woman was demanding to know who she was, with a single chilling look.

"Who are you?" Lena frowned, an ugly scowl appearing on her face. Did her dad hire a new nanny without telling her? The one she had was enough...

Lena noted that the woman's eyes grew wide the second the question had left her lips, and her jaw was slightly visibly open. She shifted herself closer to the child, a move which did not go unnoticed by Lena.

Who was this woman? Why did it seem so shocking for her to ask a question?

"You can see me?"

Lena's miniature green eyes rolled at the question, as it was rather obvious that was the case. She stared at the woman for a moment or two to check and see if she was being serious, but apparently she was, as the silence was extending to a rather awkward amount of time.

"Yeahhhh..." dragged out Lena, somewhat confused by the still shocked look that belonged to the woman. "I see a lot of things."

Lena's companion tilted her head to the left maybe a degree, as though maybe to observe the girl, and to take her all in. This confused Lena even more, well... they did share some things in common.

They both had the same red hair, although the older woman's tumbled down to her shoulders, whereas Lena's came down to her mid-neck.

Hm... Loads of people have the same eye colour! And yes, the woman did look to be showing the same look of confusion that Lena gave, when Mercy tried teaching her French that one time.

The woman opened her mouth to speak, but no words escaped, and her jaw was left agape. She looked to be searching for what to say, but the woman appeared to be relatively stuck.

Figuring she should try to find out who the woman was, and what she was doing in the house, Lena moved closer to the woman and held out her hand. "I'm Lena Luthor." She introduced, as the woman hesitantly shook her hand.

The woman raised her eyebrows as she spoke, and looked to be quite lost, however she spoke once more. "You-you wouldn't happen to be related to Lex Luthor?"

Lena giggled softly to herself, as the woman wore the same look of dawning comprehension, shock, and curiosity that came with when she spoke her last name.

"Yeah." Nodded Lena. "He's my dad."

Genuine laughter escaped from the woman's lips, an amused smile filling her lips to the very brink. "You're the baby Luthor? Lex's kid?"

Technically his name was Alexander as Uncle Lucas told her once, but whenever Lex and herself were together with others, it was that name he wished to be known by.

Puzzled by the questionable emotion shown on the strange woman's face, her growing suspicion was amplified, when she held out her hand for Lena to shake.

But whoever she was Lena had firmly decided that she liked this woman, and maybe she could gain a friend whilst imprisoned inside her dreary home.

"Tess. Tess Mercer."


	2. Chapter 2

**Jami98:** Thank you!

**Guest:** Thanks. I guess she is sort of like him.

**Jeremy Shane:** Thank you.

* * *

"So what are you doing here?"

Lena sat up so she could talk properly to this Tess Woman, and moved so they were only centimetres apart. Tess let out a short humorless laugh at Lena's question, an shook her head to herself.

"In all honesty?"

"Yeah."

"I have no idea."

Tess shrugged carelessly, as her eyes landed on the book that Lena had placed to the side. "Peter Pan?" She remarked, with a sad look appearing on her face.

Lena nodded confusedly, catching the odd look the woman was wearing. It was the same look her dad wore, when that Lana woman had come to his office.

Her dad had taken her into the Metropolis office once, claiming he was to be "showing her the ropes" as Lena was supposed to take over from Lex when she reached the appropriate age.

After sitting through an hour-long board meeting and listening to six business negations, one of which was a phone conference, Lena had settled down beside her father's desk, seated on a chair one of his assistants had provided.

But suddenly without warning, her father received a message.

"_Mr Luthor, a Miss Lana Lang is here to see you."_

The words were still branded into her brain, as was the startling look that her father gained. He'd shooed her into the adjoined room, and had closed the door behind him. Of course she'd listened in, but all that she could catch were stray words such as,_ Superman , Clark Kent, Smallville._

At hearing the words they had confused her greatly, as she didn't really know any of them. Smallville was the town Lena was living in, and where the house had stood proudly ever since it had been rebuilt a year ago. Strange it was, to think she was living with her mother a year ago...

Superman Lena knew next to nothing about, but the reactions that were invoked from her father when he heard the name... It had disturbed her so much, she'd never seen him so angry over one man before.

When her dad took her to travel on rare occasions, Lena often caught glimpses of Superman on a newspaper. Superman apparently was an alien who had superhuman powers, which he used to save people.

Secretly Lena admired a man who would be willing to do something like that, and even if she did let her opinion be known, she would never hear the end of it from her dad.

And why was he so happy looking when that shipment of green rocks came in? He looked like Father Christmas, when he was handing out presents. And who was Clark Kent?

After she'd heard this man's name, an intense shouting match had broken out between her dad and Lana. The argument had continued for several minutes, till the loud closing of a door could be heard.

Lena pulled the book on to her lap, and looked upwards at Tess. She shot her a small smile, hoping it might ease the tension somewhat. Tess smiled back, and sighed.

"Which part are you up to?" asked Tess, nodding towards the book. Lena paused for a moment, before answering. "Wendy's just about to sew on his shadow."

Tess smiled at her in response, and seemed to be lost in thought. "I knew a boy once, and when he was around your age he loved it when I read him this." Tess recounted, although the young child had never met Conner.

"Let me guess. He grew up?" Tess snorted amusedly, and nodded as she did so. "Yeah I guess you could say that." Suddenly Lena remembered the way she had worded the sentence, and curiously she pressed on.

"What happened?" Lena questioned, a wave of sympathy pooling over for the woman, who looked extremely saddened as soon as she had asked. "You spoke about him in past tense."

Lena watched warily as she gulped, and shifted slightly in the spot she was sitting in. Before either of them could speak again, Lena's bedroom door burst open.

Lena turned to the side, and to her utmost shock, Tess had disappeared. "Lena!" The girl in question looked upwards, and saw her father standing above her. "Who were you talking to?"

"No one." Scoffed Lena, doubting her father would even believe what had just occurred seconds before he entered. "I came in here when Mercy started channelling you, on a bad work day." Lena shrugged carelessly, and pointed to her stray book. "I was just reading."

Lena was fully aware that the comment she had just made could have landed her in serious trouble if her father was anyone else, but luckily for her, Lex seemed to like it when she wasn't afraid to defend herself.

He merely snorted, and an amused smile began to grace his lips. Lex shook his head to himself, and sighed calmly. "I just came to tell you dinners ready."

"Okay." Agreed Lena, getting up from her bed. Taking a hold of her father's hand, Lex began to lead the way into the grand large dining room. "So what's for dinner?"

...

As both Luthor's were halfway through their dinner, Lex attempted to make conversation. "So how was school?" Lena rolled her eyes while her dad wasn't looking, as she found the question all too ironic.

"Dad," she began warily, saddened he'd forgotten yet another small but major factor in her life again. "Christmas break started two weeks ago."

"Oh." Her dad's face fell, indicating how startled he was at the unexpected news. "Well you know I was swamped with work-" Lena nodded repeatedly, hoping her dad would cease talking as she was so tired of hearing the same excuses.

However without a word a curious expression filled Lex's face, and he hurriedly turned up the volume of the nearby TV that was playing a news report of some kind.

Lena's attention was grabbed forcefully, and following Lex's lead she listened in. A young blonde in her mid twenties was standing outside some tall offices, of what looked awfully similar to LuthorCorp's main headquarters.

"and in a surprising turn of events tonight, the young CEO of Wayne Industries Bruce Wayne has declared an alliance with Queen Industries CEO Oliver Queen-"

Lex let out a humorless chilling laugh, that echoed throughout the house. Goosebumps were clearly visible on Lena's skin, as it frightened her slightly at the way he was behaving.

A minute or two passed, before Lex stopped laughing. Although there was still a trace of a creepy smile on his lips, Lena decided to question him about the subject regardless.

"What was so funny?" she asked, confusedly frowning at the fact he was still smiling to himself. Her father seemed to suddenly remember she was still in the room, and locked eyes with her as soon as the question left her lips.

"Let's just say I find something ironic." Lex replied vaguely, leaving his daughter with more questions. _Ironic?_ Who were those two men? Did her dad know them? What exactly did they have in common that made her father so amused?

Lena decided not to press on further, and she looked back to the television. At that moment the screen was displaying a photo of two men shaking hands, and both appeared to be wearing fake plastered on smiles.

They were the same kind Mercy gave her when she wanted to look though her dads documents in the office, but didn't know the password to his safe.

One of the men was a tall, well-built man of around his twenties or younger, and he had dark hair that closely resembled a night sky. His companion was around the same age, and a thick patch of golden hair clung to his head.

What did they do to bother her dad so much?


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you for reviewing last chapter!**

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Knock._ Knock. Knock._

Lena shot awake from her bed, and frowned in puzzlement. An irritating knocking sound had awakened her from her slumber, and continued in persistence again and again. "Finally!" Lena her head to the side, and could only just make out the form of Tess leaning against her dresser. Lena blinked a few times so she could fully register who it was, as the sight of someone standing above her bed in the dark had startled her greatly.

Lena reached forward to turn on her bedside light, immediately filling the room with a flash of light. Tess raised an eyebrow at her, as Lena sat up in her bed. "What?" asked Tess, noticing the child was glaring at her in annoyance. "It's 3am!"

Tess let out a humorless chuckle, and sat beside Lena on her bed. "Being how I am now, time doesn't exactly mean much to me." Seeing Lena's face etch into that of confusion, she pressed on. "Kind of like when your asleep, but your conscious." Tess explained, not wanting to explain in further detail.

"What are you exactly?" asked Lena, observing Tess eagerly. She seemed more or less normal to the naked eye, but the obvious details gave her away too easily. Where did she disappear to earlier? And how did she get into her room unnoticed?

Her father had god knows how many security guards patrol the mansion, and other than when she was at school, there were not many times her eyes didn't settle on one. But there was something about Tess that was quite calming, and her presence surprisingly for Lena didn't set off any flags.

She projected a sense of kindness and sympathy in her words, but also sadness, and quite possibly a lot of loneliness. The place where she would disappear to, was that lonely? Despite having only met with her once before, Lena knew that she could trust this woman. There was an old sort of wisdom she held in her eyes, that gazed upon her with a very dark sense of reality.

Tess seemed happy to talk to her, happy enough to appear as though Lena was her only social interaction. Was she being paranoid? Or were her Luthor ways trying to decrypt the puzzle of who this woman was, and why Tess came to and fro at random points in time?

"I'm not quite sure," shrugged Tess, casually frowning to herself as though they were speaking of the weather. "I've been compiling a list of sorts, and ghost is the top of my list." Lena's eyes widened in shock, as she glanced at the woman to observe her. Weren't ghosts supposedly just those white sheets, that would just groan the odd "oouh!" "It's funny though," trailed Tess, as she pondered over something, "you know your dad can see me too."

"Seriously?" Lena remarked, finding her comment rather odd in general. Tess shot her a light smile, and shook her head to herself. "Let's just say your dad never liked me, dead or alive." Tess nodded, steering clear of detailing what she meant. "How...How can I see you? I mean I know dad can too, but why is that exactly?" Lena questioned, her curiosity etching its way into her voice. Tess placed a hand on her forehead, and gripped Lena's hand.

She gasped at the cold marble feel of Tess's skin, as it felt too odd to be like any other normal person. Noticing her surprise, Tess glanced down at their entwined hands. "Only became corporeal a few days ago." She spoke softly, glancing into the younger girl's eyes. "I don't know how you can see me Lena." She finally answered, sensing a slight feel of hope building up inside of her. Tess visibly cringed, as she felt the first signs of tears escape her eyes. Freeing her hand from Lena's grasp, she wiped away the stray tears. "But I'm glad that at least you can see me," Tess smiled, chuckling weakly through her tears.

Lena felt a stab of sadness at Tess's expression, and going on pure instinct, Lena decided to pull Tess into a hug. Lena wrapped her arms around the older woman's neck, and refused to let go till she hugged back. At first Tess was stiff from the shock of her doing so, but eventually she loosened up and hugged her back.

Once they both pulled away from each other, Lena moved herself closer to Tess, in hopes of showing that there was no need for her to be uncomfortable around her. "Is there anything I can do for you?" she asked, wondering if she had anything that she wanted Lena to pass on to anyone. "No, don't worry about it." Tess lied, letting her mind wander into beloved memories of the time she had spent with Oliver, Conner, and her friends. Lena shot her a look of disbelief, as it was clear even to her that Tess was lying through her teeth. For the moment Lena decided to let it go, as it was most likely she wasn't ready to talk about what led her to meeting her.

"But thanks for caring kiddo." Tess grinned, shooting her a look that conveyed she was not used to such a thing. It must be incredibly lonely being what she was, and Lena couldn't help but feel as though she owed it to the woman to be a friend to her. "You wanna see what I got for Christmas?" offered Lena, knowing that although it was small, it was an opening of sorts for the pair to become friends. "Sure." Tess agreed, happy to see what Lena appeared so eager to show her, as she jumped up from her bed and headed to where her presents were nestled beside her bed.

...

Lex scoffed at the re-runs of the news on his television, as the new business deal that was being advertised between Oliver and Bruce was laughable. Did Oliver think he was being clever? Sure he was about as popular with Bruce as he was with Oliver, but the two of them working together against him would accomplish nothing. What was Oliver hoping to achieve by working with him?

"Brooding again?"

Lex jumped up in surprise at the all too familiar voice that ringed out throughout the house, glaring at the person in question as she walked round to stand in front of where he was at. "And where have you been today Tess?" enquired Lex curiously, flashing her a fake smile. "Around." Tess chuckled, causing a ripple of fear to strike through Lex unexpectedly. In all the times Lex's dead sister had paid him a visit, she had always seemed so bored and unhappy at the prospect of only being able to talk to him for the rest of her existence. But today Tess seemed in good spirits, and was looking to be rather smug and happy with herself. Yet she was careful not to let her emotions betray what she was so happy about, which left Lex deeply infuriated, as she was more guarded now then when he had first met her.

"Around?" Lex scoffed at her cryptic answer, as it was quite clear she was hiding something, and Tess wasn't making an effort to hide it. "Yes Lex," Tess smiled mockingly, as though he was a confused school boy, "do you really think torturing you is how I spend the better half of my day?" Tess settled herself in Lex's desk chair, raising a brow at his glare. "Do you think over time I'll become more corporeal? Slowly more and more people will be able to see me, until one day I let slip that suicide was far from how I actually died..." Tess taunted, watching closely as she slowly riled Lex up. "SHUT UP!" he yelled, flinging a sharp object he kept for decoration at Tess's head. But before the object could come into contact with her head, Tess disappeared from sight, leaving the object to fall through the thin window that stood where Tess had been seating.

Lex visibly gasped at the sight, feeling the high amount of fear start to creep up inside of him without warning. "Dad?" Lex span around at the childlike voice that had called out to him, finding his daughter in front of him. Lena was rubbing her eyes from lack of sleep, staring curiously at the sight of the living room. "What was that noise? And what happened to that window?" she fired, staring wide-eyed at the shattered remains of said window. "Nothing," Lex excused, "it was an accident... Just...go back to bed." Lex ordered, leaving Lena complied to do so at the eerie look of fear on his face. "Okay." She nodded warily, making her way out of the room, but taking note of what she had heard Lex shout before the loud smash of something being thrown.

_And it sounded like he'd been talking to someone._

Lena noted, as she jumped back into bed. She had woken up slightly thirsty, and since the bathroom upstairs was being renovated, she'd made her way down to the downstairs one. But she had definitely heard voices, and she was convinced that what she had heard was her father throwing something through that window. What would compel him to do such a thing? Had something angered him so much, that he'd damaged the window in a fit of rage? Whatever had occurred, Lena knew she would have to wait till morning to discover what exactly it was.


End file.
